#1 Kinder Chocolate
If you have ever eaten Kinder chocolate, you have seen the adorable blue-eyed boy on the package. Since being the face of Kinder, the boy is all grown up. Today he is 21 years old and he is an internet sensation. His name is Josh Bateson and today, he lives and studies in London, England. After the public realized that he was the boy from the Kinder wrappers, he has become very popular all around the world. He has over 100,000 followers on Instagram. He often poses with fans, his girlfriend, and his family on Instagram, and he always mentions that he was one of the faces of Kinder. Before Josh, a German boy name Gunter was the face of the brand for 36 years. Since then, he has written an autobiography called, Chocolate Boy. While he as paid only $150 to be the face of Kinder, he said that growing up he loved to see his face on the packaging.
#2 Harland Sanders
Harland Sanders is the founder of the KFC restaurant chain. He also wrote a book called The Famous Secret of Chicken Cooking. It was also his face that advertisers used to get the KFC brand out there. For years, it was his face on commercials, promotional posters, and even on the food’s packaging. KFC continued to use his face in advertising until he died in 1980. His face became so widely known that when American students were shown pictures of many famous people, they were able to identify and recognize Mr. Sanders. His photo was the second most recognized. The first was Santa Claus. He was tied with the clown, Ronald McDonald. Since Harland Sanders passed away, his face is still used on the food’s packaging. If you walk into KFC to buy a bucket of chicken or a boxed meal, you will see Harland’s photo on the packaging. There have been many actors who have tried to take the place of Harland in the commercials on television, however, nobody could ever compete with the real thing. Today, comedian Rob Riggle is playing Harland. He may be funny, but he will never be the true Colonel Sanders.
#3 The Gerber Baby
Since 1931, the Gerber Baby has appeared on all of the baby food company’s packaging. In 1928, the owners of Gerber announced a contest to find the face for the baby food’s packaging. Many drawings and paintings were submitted. Some hopefuls sent in oil paintings, while others sent simple sketches. A woman named Dorothy Hope from Westport, Connecticut specialized in children’s drawings. She sent in her submission that was just a simple sketch. She sent a note promising to finish the drawing professionally if she was chosen. She was surprised when she found out that her drawing was chosen, and the owners didn’t want her to make any changes. The model for Smith’s drawing was Ann Turner Cook. She was an adorable baby and Smith knew that she would be the perfect face for the brand. She is still alive today and she is a great grandmother. Over the years, she tried to avoid the publicity that goes along with being the Gerber Baby. Instead, she made a living as an English teacher and a writer of mystery novels. On occasion, she would do interviews with Florida newspapers, however, that is as far as she wanted to take her fame.
#4 Milka The Cow
As soon as Milka Chocolate started packing their products in Switzerland, they adopted Milka the Cow as their mascot. Milka’s photo was on every single product that they sold. To make Milka look purple, she was painted by a lilac spray gun and then the paint washed off. The slogan that went along with Milka’s photos was Swallow the Cow. In the 1990’s, the cow that they used for the ads became very famous. After she stopped producing milk, the Milka Chocolate company started paying 6,000 franks each year for her maintenance. She is living out her days in a pasture, unaware that she is one of the most famous cows in the world. A huge balloon was even made in Milka’s image, and for years, it was seen in a variety of parades.
#5 The Marlboro Man
The Marlboro Man is one of the most popular advertising characters you know nothing about. He was used in the advertisements for Marlboro cigarettes is a very handsome, very rugged, cowboy. For over 40 years, the Marlboro Man has been used in advertising campaigns. When tobacco companies were still allowed to advertise their products on television, the Marlboro Man was featured in rugged cowboy clothing out in the wilderness doing what all cowboys do, look handsome. In a book called, The 101 Most Influential People Who Do Not Exist, the Marlboro Man came in at number one. Throughout the campaign, there were four men who appeared as the Marlboro Man. They were David McLeaan, Wayne McLaren, Dick Hammer, and Eric Lawson. Sadly, none of these men are alive today. Each and every one of them died from either lung cancer or another form of lung disease. Three out of four of them died when they were in their early to mid 50’s. If this isn’t a perfect stop smoking ad, nothing is. Before his death, when Eric Lawson was suffering from COPD, he appeared in an anti-smoking ad. He had been a smoker since he was 14 years old, and he wanted to stop other kids from smoking and turning out like him.
